Lana'i of the Tiger (The Islands of Aloha Mystery Series)

by JoAnn Bassett

  “Well, like they say, there’s good news and bad news,” I said.

  “Yes?”

  “The good news is I think they totally bought my Stella Marquez act. I think one of the guys was a little suspicious at first, but he gave up after he couldn’t trip me up.”

  “And the bad news?” said Kate.

  “The bad news is they’re sticking around until they can talk with Marta. Oh, and for some reason I completely spaced on Marta’s last name.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Marta’s long gone. From what I heard, she packed up and took the first ferry off the island the morning after the incident.”

  “But these guys—”

  “Don’t give it a moment’s thought, Penny. Marta was a new trainee. I hadn’t even had time to get her set up in the payroll system. There’s no way they can track her down.”

  “Okay, but there’s even more bad news. Those security guys never once mentioned the dead guy under the balcony. Do you think they were waiting for me to say something? But how could I? Stella never said a word about him.”

  “No, you did the right thing in keeping quiet,” said Kate. “I didn’t hear this first-hand, but then most of what I hear around here isn’t first-hand. The clerk at the front desk said he heard the O’ahu medical examiner has ruled Mr. Romano’s death as ‘inconclusive’.”

  “What? They haven’t concluded he’s dead?”

  “No,” she said. “He’s very dead, but he died from a broken neck. He was found under Miss Diamonte’s balcony, but there’s no evidence linking the two deaths.”

  “But the cops are leaning on Tyler Benson for both murders.”

  “Maybe so. But according to the desk clerk, no one’s sure he was ever in Miss Diamonte’s room.”

  “But Marta may have seen him.”

  “Or some other man in the room.”

  “Kate, we really need to talk to Marta.”

  ***

  It was getting toward mid-afternoon and I needed to get Auntie Cora’s car back to her. And, my hair was starting to itch something fierce from the baby powder. I revved up the Shelby and headed for Auntie Cora’s. On my way there I took a short detour and pulled into the only gas station on Lana’i to fill up. I was a good thing Darryl had paid me because it took an absurd amount of money to nudge the gas gauge from E to F.

  I carefully parked the Shelby in the shed house and walked to Auntie Cora’s back door. I knocked. No response. I knocked again, louder, and waited to hear her shuffling footsteps but no sound came from inside.

  I tried the doorknob and it turned. The house was still, as if it was holding its breath waiting for all hell to break loose. I went to the guest bedroom and pulled out the few things I’d brought with me when I’d fled from Wong. I stuffed them in my beach bag. Then I took a shower and washed my hair. It felt great to scrub the powder out of my hair and scalp. I rinsed and repeated until my hair squeaked. Then I dried off and dressed in clean panties, my one clean tee-shirt, and the shorts I’d been wearing for three days. I folded Auntie Cora’s scarf and went to her bedroom to put it and her straw tutu hat on her bed.

  Still no sign of Auntie Cora, but I had to get going. I went to the kitchen to write her a note thanking her for her kindness and alerting her that I’d left the island.

  While searching for a scrap of paper to write the note, I found a pile of opened mail on auntie’s desk. ‘Notice of Foreclosure’ was emblazoned across the top letter in the stack. I flipped through the mail, looking at the dates on each letter. The foreclosure process had begun back in August. The letters from more recent months were direct and chilling. The latest letter said Auntie Cora’s little house would be sold at auction on the courthouse steps in Wailuku in mid-January unless all past due amounts were paid immediately.

  I used the back of an envelope to write my note:

  Auntie Cora, I’ve gone to the mainland. Mahalo for all your help. Willie’s car is parked out back and the keys are by the door. I’ll call when I return. A big hug for you!—P

  I started to walk toward the Lana’i police station but stopped a block away. I couldn’t shake the unease I felt over learning about Auntie Cora’s foreclosure. How could I leave for the mainland knowing that sweet woman would be kicked out of her house in less than a month?

  ***

  The only public library on Lana’i is in the only public school on the island, on Fraser Avenue. The library is open for use by both the school kids and the general public. I went in and sat down at one of the free computers. The librarian looked over and shot me a look that seemed to say, You’re welcome to use the facilities, but since I don’t recognize you I’m going to watch you like a hawk.

  I clicked on an Internet browser and entered ‘1968 Shelby GT 500’. The browser showed over nine-hundred-thousand entries. I started at the top. There were photos of immaculately restored cars that looked like Willie’s Shelby must have looked when it was brand-new. I clicked on entry after entry and soon realized that completely original cars were much more sought-after than those that had been refurbished or restored using non-stock parts. Then I clicked on an entry that said, Original Shelby GT 500 For Sale. The seller had gone to the trouble of making an elaborate YouTube video showing every aspect of the car. It was eerie watching it, since the car was the same year and color as Willie’s, but it was sparkling clean. The guy on the video seemed delighted to point out every feature. He emphasized how fantastic it was that this ‘beauty’ still sported the original paint job, a bona fide owner’s manual, authentic floor mats, and genuine Shelby decals and insignia.

  When I got down to the asking price I said, “Wow.” It came out louder than I’d intended. The librarian shot me a scowl and I gave her my ‘sorry’ face. The guy on YouTube was asking one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars for the car! And even more amazing, the word SOLD had been added next to the price.

  Willie may not have wanted Auntie Cora to sell the car, but I’d bet he’d want her to be a homeless bag lady even less. I shut down the browser and got up to leave.

  The librarian’s eyes followed me all the way to the door. When I pulled the door open, I turned and gave her a little ‘bye-bye’ wave. She nodded and smiled as if we’d struck a bargain and she was pleased I’d kept up my end of it.

  ***

  I trotted back to Auntie Cora’s to give her the good news, but when I got there, there was still nobody home. I crumpled up the note I’d left for her and tried to imagine where she might be. Before I’d talked to her at the tai chi class I’d noticed her a few times at the local convenience store ‘talking story’ with her tai chi buddies, so I went there.

  “Yes, she was in here about an hour ago,” said the clerk as she straightened the magazines near the check-out. “Poor thing. She was pretty upset. Had to go over to Maui. You know, she’s got some troubles.”

  “You mean her money problems? Yeah, she told me all about that.” There I go lying again.

  “Did she tell you she’s selling the last of her jewelry? Even her little gold wedding band. She was pretty broken up about it.”

  “When did she leave?”

  “Not sure. The next ferry’s at four-thirty, though.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Less than half an hour. I don’t think she had time to make the earlier one.”

  “Mahalo,” I said. I sprinted for the door.

  ***

  I ran to the White Orchid to see if Darryl could give me a ride to the ferry dock. As I turned the corner, I halted. A cop cruiser was parked out front. I ran back the way I’d come and went in through the back gate. How long could it take Darryl to tell the cops he hadn’t seen me? A minute, maybe two?

  I slipped into the greenhouse to avoid being spotted in the yard. Mr. Ho was busy re-potting some orchids. He looked up as I approached.

  “Aloha, Mr. Ho,” I said. I tried to act as if I was just hanging out—not a care in the world—but as I walked toward him, Ho stepped back from the potting table and folded his arms
across his chest.

  “You have worry,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes, I do. I need to get to the ferry dock in time to make the next boat, but it leaves in twenty minutes and Darryl’s busy.”

  “Policeman here.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  “You got some problem with the police?”

  “More or less,” I said.

  “You hurt somebody? Take something? What?”

  He’d already demonstrated his powers of observation, so I figured it best to offer the vague truth. “No, nothing like that. The police want to talk to me. But I can’t talk right now. I need to stop a friend who’s about to make a big mistake.”

  “Your friend is going on the ferry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll get my truck.”

  We careened down Manele Road so fast Ho’s rattletrap truck sounded like every nut, bolt and weld was about to blow. When we skidded into the harbor area, the ferry was already at the dock.

  “Mahalo, Mr. Ho,” I said. I leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek but he intercepted and patted my shoulder.

  “You go. You miss your friend if you don’t go now.”

  I slammed the truck door and dashed down the wooden dock. A hefty ferry worker with a ponytail halfway down his back was hauling the gangway onto the dock.

  “Please,” I said. “I need to get on.”

  He released his grip on the gangway and it dropped with a loud clank. “No worries. You got a ticket?”

  “How much for kama’aina?”

  He looked me over. “You got some ID?”

  “C’mon, man. I can tell you who coached Warrior football when Colt Brennan was quarterback. I know the three foods you need for plate lunch. I graduated from Maui High School when the sugar mill was still operating in Lahaina. Give me a break, brudda. I forgot my wallet at home.”

  “You got money?”

  “At least enough for a kama’aina ticket.”

  “Okay, get aboard.” He shoved the gangway back in place and I hopped on.

  I found Auntie Cora on the bottom deck huddled near a window. She was sitting so low in the seat I almost missed her.

  “Auntie!” I said in a loud voice. Four older ladies turned around in their seats to see who’d called them.

  I gave a little wave to the others, then I went to sit next to Auntie Cora.

  “Penny,” she said. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in hiding.” She looked around the ferry cabin as if trying to spot an al Qaeda death squad.

  “I’m here to get you off this boat.”

  CHAPTER 25

  I had to nearly carry a bewildered Auntie Cora out of the ferry cabin. We made our way to the back just as the guy was once again dragging the gangway onto the dock for departure.

  “We need to get off this boat,” I yelled above the roar of the revving engines.

  “Sorry. It’s already underway,” shouted the pony-tail guy from the dock. He shot me so much stink eye it was a wonder my nostrils didn’t seize up. But he stopped hauling the gangway.

  “No it’s not,” I said. The engines were throbbing, but the ferry hadn’t moved an inch. “My auntie is sick. She needs medical attention.”

  He looked at Auntie Cora. “She looks okay to me.”

  “Well, she’s not.” I grabbed Auntie’s arm. “What’s that? You’re having real bad chest pains?”

  Auntie nodded, not looking very convincing. I hoped pony-tail man would take her confused look to be the result of the massive coronary going on in her chest.

  “They got more doctors on Maui than here,” the guy offered.

  “Yeah, but she’s got medicine at home. She needs to get it. And if she gets any worse we’ll take the airplane to Kahului. No tellin’ what might happen on the bumpy ferry ride.”

  He signaled to the captain in the upper bridge. The captain got on the loudspeaker. “What’s goin’ on down there? We need to get movin’.”

  The pony-tail guy pointed to Auntie Cora. He slashed his finger across his throat, like a director signaling, ‘Cut’. The engines throttled back and the pony-tail guy hurriedly slid the gangway back into place. When it was secure, he unhooked the little chain and gave us a ‘c’mon’ gesture.

  “Mahalo. I’ll make sure my auntie gets home safe and gets her medicine,” I said as I followed Auntie Cora off the ferry.

  “Yeah, you do that,” the guy shouted as he once again began hauling the heavy metal plate back onto the dock. He signaled the bridge and the engines roared to full-throttle. The ferry pulled away, leaving a wide trail of churning white foam in its wake.

  “Why you come down here?” said Auntie Cora once the ferry had moved far enough away we could hear ourselves think.

  “I know about your house,” I said. “I know they want to take it away from you. But you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

  She looked deep into my eyes as if she was waiting for me to whip out a winning lottery ticket, or maybe a racing form showing my horse had come in at a hundred to one. Unfortunately, the State of Hawaii frowns on ill-gotten gains so lotteries and horse-racing aren’t legal in the islands.

  “No, really,” I said. “I’ve got fantastic news.”

  “You one of those Secret Millionaires?” she said. She was referring to a reality TV show where big bucks people pretend to be volunteers at local charities and then, after a week, come clean to the poor folks that they’re actually comfortably well-heeled. They hand out modest checks to the weeping recipients in a ‘feel-good’ moment at the end of the show.

  “No, I’m not one of those guys. But I know how you could come into some serious cash.”

  Now she really looked confused.

  “Let’s take a seat over there in the shade,” I said. “The shuttle bus won’t be by for a while.”

  I told her about going to the library and looking up Willie’s car on the Internet. I explained that an identical car, a little more cleaned up, had recently sold for more than a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Auntie Cora’s lips formed into an “O” but she didn’t say anything.

  When I finished, I shut up to allow time for it to sink in.

  “But I promised Willie,” she said finally breaking the silence.

  “Yes, you did. And I’m sure Willie loved that car.” I paused for dramatic effect. “But wherever he is, don’t you think he loves you more?”

  She started weeping, her hands swiping tears from her wrinkled cheeks. She stared at her feet. I kept quiet. The decision was so personal, so morally complicated, I vowed I’d respect whatever choice she made.

  The shuttle bus swung into view. I stood and waved so the driver would stop for us. We got on and rode back to Lana’i City in silence.

  ***

  I walked Auntie Cora back to her house and then ran down to the White Orchid to hear what the cops had said. My next stop would be the police station, but I wanted to be prepared when I made my grand appearance. Coming out of hiding meant my time on Hawaii was down to hours, maybe minutes. There was no way Wong would allow me to slip through his fingers again.

  I took the three steps up to the porch and looked through the screen. A lovely tableau of mother, baby and doting papa was on display in the great room. All three were sprawled on the tattered sofa, with Baby Ekana tucked in the crook of Darryl’s arm and Ewa dozing alongside.

  Ekana began whimpering when he saw me. I swear that kid must’ve mistaken me for an archenemy from a former life. When I stepped through the screen door he really went to town. Darryl tried to shush him, but after a minute of full-tilt screaming, Ewa groggily roused herself and took the baby back to the bedroom.

  “Sorry to wake you,” I said when things had settled down.

  “No worries. You were right, that cop came looking for you.”

  “Yeah? How did it go?”

  “Pretty much as planned,” he said. “I told him you’d worked here before, but we’d been in Honolulu for t
he past week and I hadn’t seen you since.”

  “Did he believe you?” I said.

  “Who knows? He was a tough dude. Real hard to read.”

  I nodded.

  “Oh, but he did say something interesting,” said Darryl.

  “What’s that?”

  “He said if I saw you I should let you know they found Tyler Benson’s prints on the knife. He said—and this is just how he said it—seems things aren’t always what they seem.”

  That sounded like Wong, ever the profound philosopher.

  “Can I use your phone?” I said.

  “Sure. I’m need to go check on Ewa. Can you stay for dinner?”

  “Mahalo, but no. I’ve got one more thing to do before I get in touch with Wong. After that, I’m as good as gone.”

  “Well, take care, Penny. Come back and see us when you can.”

  We hugged briefly and he left me alone in the great room. I dialed the main number for the Lodge at Koele and asked to be connected to housekeeping.

  Kate picked up on the second ring.

  “Penny,” she said once I’d identified myself. “I’m glad to hear from you. I was just about to leave. Guess what? I found Marta. She’s agreed to meet with me in the morning.”

  “She’s back?”

  “No, she’s over on Maui. I’m going to catch the first ferry over.”

  “Can I come with you?” I said.

  “Sure, but it’ll be like last time. She speaks even less English than Stella.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to go with you. I have two questions I’d love to have answered before I turn myself in.”

  “I’m sure she’d be okay with you coming. But she flatly refuses to talk to Four Seasons security,” she said. “Do you have any ideas on that?”

  “Not at the moment. I’ll see what I can come up with by tomorrow morning.” I gave her Auntie Cora’s address and she offered to swing by and pick me up on her way to the ferry.

  I hung up. Looked like I wouldn’t be spending Friday night with Wong after all.

  I speed-walked back to Auntie Cora’s, keeping my head down and zig-zagging down side streets to avoid crossing the park. I could practically feel Wong’s anger zinging through the trees.